The author examines the role, training, and effectiveness of breastfeeding peer counselors and discussed ways that mothers and peer counselors might benefit from the connection and relationship that develops between the breastfeeding mother and her peer counselor.
The WIC Infant-Feeding Practices Study was a nationally representative 1-year longitudinal study of WIC participants that obtained information about attitudes regarding infant feeding and infant-feeding practices. Results indicated that all ethnic groups were concerned about insufficient milk. Hispanic mothers were more likely to agree with the statements about the benefits of breastfeeding. Black mothers were more likely to agree with statements about barriers. These results could help inform a redesign of the WIC breastfeeding promotion campaign.
This report focused on the impact of infant formula marketing on breastfeeding rates of WIC and non-WIC women, as well as the Government Accountability Office ;s recommendation to protect against inappropriate infant formula advertisements.
This study explored the context of black women's infant-feeding decisions in an urban WIC clinic. The study revealed that the availability of free formula facilitated bottle-feeding choices. However, incorporating personalized breastfeeding promotion and building a trusting relationship with WIC providers encouraged breastfeeding decisions for almost half of the key informants.
This study examines a range of innovative practices at 20 state or local WIC agencies. The researchers focused on practices in three main areas: breastfeeding promotion and support (including peer counseling and programs for high-risk groups); nutrition and health education (including obesity prevention, preventive healthcare, and staff training); and service delivery (such as home and workplace visits). For each innovative program, the authors provided background information and discussed the source of the innovation, key challenges, implementation lessons learned, evidence of its success, and the feasibility of replicating the practice.
Mississippi was selected as a pilot state in the national breastfeeding promotion campaign titled Loving Support Makes Breastfeeding Work; To reinforce the national project, the Mississippi WIC Breastfeeding Promotion Project Team developed a comprehensive program that included patient and family education, staff training, public awareness activities, health professional outreach, and partnership with the community. WIC staff cited staff training, community outreach, and peer counseling as the most beneficial activities.
The goals for this study were (1) to identify interventions to increase the incidence, duration, and intensity of breastfeeding among women participating in WIC and (2) to design an evaluation plan to examine the implementation and effectiveness of these interventions.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Loving Support Makes Breastfeeding Work; campaign on healthcare providers in Mississippi. This study showed that this national breastfeeding promotion had a positive impact on nurses; breastfeeding awareness and practices.
This study assessed the impact of a breastfeeding promotion project, which combined physical improvements of the clinic and staff training, implemented by the state of Mississippi. Results showed that the project improved the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, confidence, and practice of staff in the intervention clinics.
The objective of this study was to identify the unintended consequences of the WIC formula rebate on the proportion of mothers who breastfed their babies. The results showed that the high and increasing cost of the formula might perpetuate the idea that WICs formula packages are of greater value than the breastfeeding packages that WIC offers.
